The Val de Zafán railway had a short history. Although the idea of building a railway line between Aragon and a sea port in order to move its products was discussed as early as 1863, it was not until 1891 that work finally began at La Puebla de Hijar (Teruel) and it took until 1942 for the line to finally reach Tortosa (Tarragona). The design of the route, which was to connect La Puebla de Hijar with San Carlos de la Rápita (Tarragona), did not only take commercial considerations into account but military ones also. In the event of a possible invasion from beyond the Pyrenees, the railway line was to supply the entire southern side of the Ebro Valley, which would act as a secondary natural frontier. The line was extended as far as Tortosa for military reasons too, since the railway played an important logistical role in the Civil War during the Battle of the Ebro. But the final section to San Carlos de la Rápita was never completed, and the final length of the railway was just 110 km.

The Val de Zafán railway, which was also popularly known as the “Sarmentero” (The Vine Cutter) as it ran through a number of vineyards, was in operation for 31 years until in 1973 a tunnel cave-in provided the excuse to close it down.